Tracy man killed in apparent robbery

Family says he took a bullet meant for cousin

TRACY - A 25-year-old Tracy man was fatally shot early Sunday during an apparent robbery attempt outside his new home while preventing a younger cousin from being wounded, according to family members who witnessed the attack.

TRACY - A 25-year-old Tracy man was fatally shot early Sunday during an apparent robbery attempt outside his new home while preventing a younger cousin from being wounded, according to family members who witnessed the attack.

The death of Darell Esguerra, identified by his family as the victim, marks the city's first homicide in almost two years.

Tracy police stated calls began coming in around 1:21 a.m. Sunday reporting numerous shots fired in the 1900 block of Notre Dame Court, a block-long dead-end street nestled inside an upscale neighborhood of large homes in the outer southwest corner of the city.

The first officers on the scene reported finding Esguerra sprawled on the front lawn of the house, unresponsive and suffering from a gunshot wound. He died about two hours later at an area hospital, according to police.

No arrests had been made as of Sunday afternoon, police reported.

"He tried to protect me last night," said the victim's cousin, Jerick Bali, 18. "That bullet was meant for me but it got him instead."

Bali, a recent graduate of Tracy High School, is still trying to come to terms with what happened to his cousin.

"He loves his family. We'll do anything for each other," he said, explaining the tight-knit Filipino family consists of more cousins, aunties and uncles than he can count.

Bali said he was just leaving the home his cousin and other family members had moved into two months ago and was walking to his car when another car drove by, made a quick U-turn at the end of the cul-de-sac and stopped. Two men with handguns got out and Bali's cousins yelled for him to get back in the house, he said.

"Then one pushes me against the car with a gun to my chest. I told him I have no money. (Esguerra) walks toward the guy," Bali said.

Cousin Christina Espartero, 24, said she then yelled to Esguerra to stop, because she knew he would do anything to protect his younger cousin.

"They just started shooting. It was a lot," Espartero said, estimating there may have been more than two dozen bullets fired, many of them hitting the house. "My 4-year-old daughter was sleeping here," she said, pointing to the front window.

Bali said his cousin was struck in the back of the head by the same bullet that whizzed by his head.

The family members said neither they nor Esguerra, to their knowledge, knew the shooters, whom they described as two black men in their early 20s wearing black clothing. They believe there was a third accomplice who stayed in the car.

"Police are looking into everything," Espartero said. A news release issued by Tracy police Sunday afternoon stated: "This is an ongoing investigation and no other information will be released at this time." A message left with a department spokesman was not returned.

Esguerra, his cousins said, graduated from Tracy High and went into the construction trade, specializing in building large towers.

"He came home one day after climbing a 500-foot tower and was so happy," Espartero recalled.

She said her cousin, who grew up with her family and was like a brother to her, was the oldest of three siblings. His mother and two younger sisters live out of state.

"Darell is such a kind-hearted person. He had a job interview today in fact. For someone to take that away, it just breaks my heart," Espartero said, her voice breaking.

He treated her 4-year-old daughter and another 5-year-old cousin like nieces.

"He always takes care of them," she said. "Now, we don't know how to tell them he's gone."

Tracy police ask that anyone with information related to this investigation contact Detective Ricardo Hernandez at (209) 831-6631. Anonymous tips can be made through Tracy Crime Stoppers online or call (209) 831-4847.

Contact reporter Joe Goldeen at (209) 546-8278 or jgoldeen@recordnet.com. Follow him at recordnet.com/goldeenblog and on Twitter @joegoldeen.